1.26.2011

Cabi Love

My relationship with cab drivers has traditionally been rocky. I simply can't stand anyone that wakes up in the morning and asks themselves, "I wonder how many people I can knowingly rip off today?" And this is an absolute embellishment, of course. But within, I would say, 80% of the cabies I have stepped into, they have tried to rip me off. These cabies span across California, New York, D.C., Italy, France, London, Thailand and Mexico (the absolute worst). Frankly, I've seen 'em all.

My buddy Jeff used to say that my bad rapport was a direct result of me calling taxi driver's, cabies. He may be correct, but I know for a fact, many people can relate to my backseated hostility.

And then there is Korea. Ahh, the splendid nature of people being well paid, trustworthy, complimentary but sometimes indifferent to politeness.

The country is not poor and capitalism is thriving. Business for taxis? Check. All people here trust their neighbors immediately. Trustworthy taxi divers? Check. All people also constantly comment on your appearance. Rear-view mirroring taxi drivers? Check. And, because of a very long war with their northern neighbors, all people here are slightly edgy when the situation calls for it. Somewhat grumpy taxi drivers? Check.

Taxi's are also relatively cheap here, so I take them often. Many rides happen in silence. Other times they work on their English (these are annoying because I am paying for their English lesson). But sometimes, every few weeks, I will get an overly complimentary driver.
Example: This is a conversation with a middle-aged taxi driver in Busan last weekend. (Notice I did not call him cabi.)

He was not buying it. He kept insisting I take a discount. Once we stopped at the restaurant I shoveled him the fare and said, "Thank very much. I paid because appreciated your honesty." He said thanks but actually looked sorrowful when receiving the money.

Considering my history with cabies, this event felt miraculous. But that moment did not last long.

That same weekend my wife and I were scolded for talking to loudly and like little kids. We giggled it off, making him more upset. He was grumpy. We all are. But, I must mention that to his credit, he had no intention of ripping us off.

And to be honest, I would take a scolding over a crooked cabi ride any day.

It's important to clarify that Mark's experience with "cabbies" is very different from mine (btw, when I wrote "cabbies," my phone tried to autocorrect it to "fannies" haha; it just shows you, Mark, that cabbies is not a real word, love)

Anyway, as he gets comments for being handsome, I get lectures about how I should really know Korean. When Mark speaks English, they practically clap with joy. When I speak English, I get a stare down from the rearview mirror or sometimes, a head shake. We're a walking paradox here in Korea :)